Chapter: 1, New World
In the world of Minecraft, There are three realms. The 'Over World', which is a home to the living and uncorrupted. Here live many species like humans, villagers, witches, pillagers, tideborn and the monsters that harm these living forces. Each of these races has formed their own forces. Among them, only three are the most superior.
The Human race has three kingdoms and one empire as their strongest forces. They are the strongest of any other race in the Overworld. The villagers are in mutual cooperation with the human race with the exchange of resources for protection.
The Central Human Empire holds control over the entire Central plains, which is the largest piece of land area surrounded by many small kingdoms scattered across the entire overworld sea and many small islands.
The other three kingdoms are the Tundra kingdom, which is a kingdom collection of snow-dwelling warrior tribes. The Golden Dynasty which is ruled by the Dessert sultanate, known for its wealth, military prowess and ancient secrets. The last is the Crimson Kingdom, ruled by the Crimson Crusader royal family that hunts down dark magic users, witches and illagers.
It is a religious kingdom that worships their founding emperor, Blade, which symbolizes resilience, vitality and determination.
After the human race come the pillagers. They are practically the rivals of humans. They seek to defeat the human race but remain unaccomplished. They do have rivalry against humans but like the humans they also despise the dark and corrupted forces. The humans and pillagers have only one difference, and it is that they are more cruel to themselves and their enemy.
Even if they share rivalry, they would not be unreasonably cruel as to kill the innocent. At most they would imprison their enemies, the exception being the dark forces.
The witches are the most neutral force among the three. They don't care what the other two forces do as long they stay out of their way. The only time they will take action personally is when their own betray the light and submit to the corruption.
Just because they don't take much action doesn't mean they are weak. They possess the power to wield magic, and are highly proficient in it.
The 'Nether' is the home to the dead and corrupted. Here lives the hoglins, piglins that guard the Nether from imbalance and many corrupted intelligent creatures that dwell there. It is also the realm that holds the so-called 'Archdemon' sealed there thousands of years ago.
The only people who enter this hellish realm are either insane or greedy for resources there. Albeit dangerous, people also enter there to see their deceased loved ones, since it is the place where dead souls go after dying for the purpose of purification for the cycle of reincarnation.
The Last is 'End'. It is a mysterious realm that holds the 'unknown'. The only creatures known from the 'End' are Enderman, Shulkers and the guardian of the 'End' 'The Ender Dragon'. Most people who went to explore this mysterious realm never came back, but the ones who did, never lived long. They also couldn't share much about the mysteries in there; it's as if someone or something is keeping them from revealing the mysteries.
*
1009th year in the imperial calendar
In the Central Human Empire, in a rural village named Ashford village, a woman in her late teens was giving birth while the midwife was helping her. After some hours of painful cries echoing in the wooden hut, the woman's cries faded and a newborn child's cries echoed through the hut.
The midwife after cleaning the soft and small body of the child handed him over to its mother.
The woman named Esmara looked at the child with tears of sorrow in her eyes. She seems to remember a figure far distant. Remembering that person, she mumbled in a soft breath "You… You look just like him. You have become the crown of my life, so, your name shall be Stephenus."
And just like that, the chosen one was born.
***
1017th year of the imperial calendar
In a deep forest, near a small pond, a young boy was holding a fishing rod, trying to catch fish with another orange haired boy. They both were talking while fishing.
"Stef, what do you want to be in the future?" the orange haired boy asked Stephenus.
Stephenus pondered for a while before replying with a joyous smile "I will become a knight."
The orange haired guy asked again with a confused look on his face "Why do you want to be a Knight? It is a very dangerous job, and you might lose your life on missions." At the end, he looked a bit scared.
Stephenus looked at him as if he were an idiot and said with a slight chuckle "Alex, don't you think that other people also know that it's dangerous? So, why do you think they still choose to become a knight?"
The orange haired boy named Alex gave him a questioning look and asked "Why?"
Stephenus looked toward the fishing hook calmly floating in the water of the pond and said one word "Protection"
"Protection?"
"Yes. Protection. The people who become knights are people who have a deep desire to protect something precious to them."
As the fishing hook shook, he started to pull the rod while adding "I want to become a knight for the same reason. I want to be strong enough to protect people precious to me."
Alex looked baffled and said "but, isn't this just greed for power, only that it sounds heroic."
"Yes, you can also say that. But, there is one major difference."
"What?"
"It's that, many people have a good heart and want good for the people but they don't possess the power to actually act righteously. And many have power but don't have a good heart.
"What I mean is, conviction without power is nonsense and power without conviction is meaningless. I have the conviction to protect; all I need is the power to act on it.
"This is why I need to become a knight. Because I have a reason to."
To be Continued…